Society profile: Alpha Kappa Psi

Dating back to 1904, Alpha Kappa Psi is the most prestigious business fraternity in the world. QMUL now has its own chapter, so we caught up with one of the QMUL founding 'brothers' and co-president Daniel Bui to find out just what it means to be a part of this fraternity, and what sort of opportunities are available to its members.

31 May 2017

Alpha Kappa Psi officers at the chapter installation at QMUL.

It’s exciting to know that we have a fraternity on campus at QMUL! For those of us who aren’t familiar, what does it mean to be in a fraternity?

Firstly, it must be highlighted that we are a ‘business fraternity’ which means we differ to a conventional fraternity you may have seen in films. Being a business fraternity means we are half professional and half social as well as being open to both men and women to join. Now, being in fraternity means sharing the same guiding principles as other members and always looking out for one another, a sentiment that extends to the international organisation as a whole and not only the brotherhood at QMUL. This means being part of a larger, international organisation that supports its brothers (yes, our full members are referred to as brothers and, though it may seem odd, both men and women are addressed as brothers) throughout their entire lifetime. The respect we share even means that brothers in other countries will be happy to show visiting brothers around on trips abroad, for instance. Being in a fraternity also means giving back to the community as it is important to help those who are less fortunate than you, and small gestures go a long way.

Why and how was a fraternity started at QMUL?

Alpha Kappa Psi – the most prestigious business fraternity dates back to 1904 and is now chartered at QMUL. It is the first business fraternity in London and second in the UK, thanks to three QMUL students – Daniel M. Bui, who studies Economics and Klara Klarowicz and Elena Burykina who are studying Business Management (the founding three). In 2015/16, the founding three studied abroad at the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida and became brothers of Beta Pi “Chapter” (location at which AKPsi is chartered) in Fall 2015. Seeing the benefits of a brotherhood, they decided there was a need for such an organisation at their home university. So, upon returning to QMUL, they brought over the concept and after successfully attracting new members through showing the meaning of brotherhood, the importance of giving back to the community, and encouraging lifelong learning, Alpha Kappa Psi was established at QMUL.

What is the purpose of Alpha Kappa Psi and what does it hope to achieve for its members?

Alpha Kappa Psi is recognised as the premier developer of principled business leaders. Our fraternity is built on enhancing the career development of its members, whether it be through workshops, seminars or through interaction with our esteemed alumni chapter.

Who is able to join and what sort of person would do well in your society?

Anyone is welcome to join. Those who have a passion for success and a drive to develop professionally will do well in the process of becoming a brother. One thing to note is that Alpha Kappa Psi requires commitment to succeed so it’s not a society that you can dip in and out of. In other words, the more you put in, the more you get out.

Can you tell us about a recent event or cool activity that you held?

Over the year, we have held numerous events, many of which are professional. For instance, we have had talks from TEDx speakers and in our second semester visited Barclays for an insight day into wealth management. As mentioned above, we do have a social side and our most notable event to the public so far would have to be “AKPie” – a day where students and brothers alike had the opportunity to pie our members in the face as a way to relieve stress from studying. We also spent a weekend visiting the chapter at the University of Manchester. As such, we have made strong links with the Manchester brothers and look forward to future events across both chapters. We also hold formal dinners, the Blue Sapphire and the Yellow Rose to celebrate our achievements, at the end of each semester.

Do you have any exciting plans for the near future?

Being an international organisation which spans across the US, Canada, UK and Asia, a convention is held every two years to gather brothers from across the world. The next convention is this August in Las Vegas so a few of our brothers will be flying out to the States to celebrate the fraternity’s success! It’s been a successful year, but we’re always striving to do bigger and better. This means we will be hosting more events open to all students, as well as working with charities such as Oxfam, to fundraise and provide community service. We can’t yet say which events we will be hosting, but look out for intersociety collaborations – it might even be a society you’re already part of!

What would you say to anyone who is thinking about joining but isn’t sure if it’s for them?

Something new and different always takes a leap of faith – and let’s be honest, a fraternity on a UK campus is as new and different as you can get. New members will need to put themselves out there, but the rewards from being part of the fraternity are unlimited. Not only will you develop professionally, but you’ll get access to an incredible network of members world-wide – and most importantly, you’ll make lifelong friendships.

How can people get in touch with you or find out more?

There are many ways to find out more about Alpha Kappa Psi as an organisation and specifically our chapter: